Dear Partner,

When God first made man, He only gave man one “law.”

Gen 2:16-17   And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

When the tempter came to deceive Eve, notice that he not only directly spoke the opposite of what God said, but he also accused God of having evil intentions toward Adam and Eve.

Gen 3:4-5   And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Jesus said that the devil was a liar from the beginning. There is no truth in him. The first lie was telling them that sin would not kill them. It did. They did not die physically the day they sinned by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, but they died spiritually with the first bite. The second lie is more subtle. It is both a lie and a false accusation against God at the same time. Allow me to offer my paraphrase of the devil’s accusation in modern wording. The devil was saying, “Up until now you have had to obey whatever God tells you. God decides for you what is good and what is evil. God knows that if you eat the fruit of that tree, you will become as gods yourself. You will no longer be under His tyranny. You will be able to decide for yourselves what is good and what is evil.”

Adam and Eve believed it then, and mankind still believes it today. In the paper and on TV our news programs in America are filled with decisions made by educated people deciding for themselves what is good and what is evil. They no longer look to God’s Word to find out from HIM what is right and what is wrong. Paul wrote it this way in his letter to the Romans:

Rom 1:21-28   Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (24) Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (26) For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (28) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.

Last month the state of New York legalized homosexual and lesbian marriage. Those in power who regulate the laws of that state have chosen to be little “gods” themselves. They have eaten from the forbidden tree. They have decided for themselves what is “good and evil.” Said another way, they have made the decision on their own that such practices are not sin. They have placed their blessing upon that which God calls an abomination!

Lev 20:13   If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

I am not the judge of anybody. I cannot look on anybody’s heart. Only God can do that. But I am called as a teacher of God’s Word to be a faithful witness of His truth to the world. The whole world seems to be yelling at the top of its lungs to the homosexual … “You are okay. It is not sin. You will not surely die.” It is the same lie the devil told Eve in the Garden of Eden. Sometimes when I teach like this people say, “But Gary … that’s from the Old Testament. We are not under law but under grace. The blood of Jesus covers everything.” As a faithful witness of God’s Word I simply share a few New Testament verses with them like these:

Rom 8:13   For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Rom 6:15-16   What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (16) Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

We live in an evil generation. Isaiah prophesied concerning those who call evil good:

Isa 5:20-21   Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (21) Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Let us be faithful witnesses to God’s Word. Let us always be lights that shine in the darkness

Sue and I love you and appreciate you.   We thank God for your generous and giving heart.   God bless you!

Your friend and co-laborer,

Gary Carpenter

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